Knight Riders clash with Daredevils

Hosts Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils, who are better-placed to make the semi-finals, will look to climb up the Indian Premier League (IPL) ladder after their high-voltage clash here Tuesday.
Both teams will go into the battle at the Eden Gardens with different feelings. While Sourav Ganguly's team have won their last two matches to take their tally to eight points from eight matches, Virender Sehwag's Delhi have suffered close defeats in their last three matches to remain at eight.
Although both teams have eight points from as many matches, the Knight Riders (+0.545) are a shade ahead of Delhi (+0.500) on the net run rate. With the race in the 59-match Twenty20 tournament intensifying, net run rate could come into play in determining the semi-finals if the qualifying teams tie on points.
Rajasthan Royals (14 points), Chennai Super Kings (12) and Kings XI Punjab (10) are leading the semi-final race, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils.
Ganguly has touched his best form in the tournament in Hyderabad on Saturday and Kolkata's bowling will be bolstered by the the inclusion of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. Shoiab himself publicly stated that he would be playing against the Daredevils.
Ganguly scored a strokeful 91 off just 57 balls, in addition to the two wickets he captured, and Australian David Hussey remained unbeaten on a rapid fire 57 in their last match against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad Sunday.
Delhi, on the other hand, have been a bit unlucky to lose their last three games. They ran hosts Rajasthan Royals close before losing in the last over Sunday night. On Thursday, they lost to the visiting Chennai Super Kings off the very last ball while defending 188.
Delhi have not performed badly in both batting and bowling departments. But their fielding will have to improve Tuesday if they have to put up a fight against the Knight Riders in front of an expected full house at the Eden Gardens.
Delhi's fielding, especially catching, against Rajasthan Royals left a lot to be desired as a few simple catches were surprisingly dropped and the misses contributed decisively to their defeat at Sawai Man Singh Stadium.

Watson leads Royals to victory

Jaipur: Shane Watson made full use of two dropped chances to score a blazing half-century, which sealed a thrilling three-wicket win for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils in their IPL Twenty20 match here on Sunday.
Chasing, 157 to win, the hosts overcame early jolts to post a convincing victory with five balls to spare.
The Delhi team, invited to bat, could put just 156 runs on the board, largely with the help of Farveej Maharoof's blistering knock of 39 down the order.
Watson's strokeful 74-run-knock came off just in 40-balls with the help of five boundaries and five sixes.
His eventful innings came to an end when he was run out in the penultimate over.
Square leg umpire did not refer the decision to the third umpire but rival skipper Virender Sehwag pushed for it and eventually got rid of Watson as TV replays clearly showed he was short of his ground.
This opened the match again for the Delhi team but Mahesh Rawat (5) and Niraj Patel (4) did not lose their nerve and won the match on the first ball of the last over.
The visitors have to blame themselves for the defeat as first their star batsmen let them down and then they dropped catches, earned by their bowlers.
Graeme Smith (24) and Watson made the most of the dropped chances to bring back their team in the hunt as they put on a crucial 71-run partnership for the third wicket.
Smith was dropped on zero by Amit Mishra and Watson by skipper Virender Sehwag when the Australian was on individual score of 26 and the team was struggling at 59 for two.
The hosts were stuttering at 15 for two after five overs and just when it seemed the Delhi team was on course of pulling a improbable win, Smith-Watson combo lifted their team from the pits.
The partnership laid a strong foundation for the victory though the battle swung again in the favour of visitors with leg-spinner Amit Mishra (2/27) scalping two wickets in successive overs.
Mishra first dismissed Smith and then bowled Ravindra Jadeja (6) to give his team a good chance to come back in the match.
Earlier, a brilliant bowling supported by charged up fielding helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Delhi Daredevils to a modest total of 156 for seven.
The visitors failed to build partnerships and paid the price as they could not put enough runs on the board and handed a tough job to their bowlers to defend a modest total.
Host skipper Shane Warne used all his bowlers effectively and made life difficult for visiting batsmen until Farvez Faharoof. Maharoof hit a blistering 39-run knock towards the end.
Maharoof top scored for the Delhi team with the help of two boundaries and four sixes, all coming in Shane Warne's overs.
The Sri Lankan also shared a crucial 54-run partnership with compatriot Tilakratne Dilshan (18) to help his team past the 150-run mark.
Mahroof hit Warne for 26 runs in the penultimate over with the help of four sixes, lifting the spirits of a dejected Delhi team.
Shane Watson (2/21) and Siddharth Trivedi (2/28) were the most successful bowlers for the hosts.
Mascarenhas, who made his debut in the tournament, bowled well and used slow balls to good effects as it did help in containing dangerous Virender Sehwag.
Watson too on the other end, bowled in tandem as the pair gave away just 29 runs in the first four overs with fielders complimenting their bowlers well.
As the pressure mounted to score quick runs, Sehwag (17) perished to Watson when he drove him uppishly only to find Mohammad Kaif at backward point.
On down Shikhar Dhawan (3) did not last long as he started his walk back to pavilion seven balls later after a terrible mix up with Gautam Gambhir (31) resulted in his run-out.
Gambhir then survived a run-out chance when Munaf Patel failed to hit stumps when the Delhi opener tried to steal a run in rival skipper's over.
The left-handed batsman, however, could not use the chance and was dismissed by Siddharth Trivedi when he tried to loft the ball over the covers but only managed an inside edge on his stumps.

BCCI divided over punishing Harbhajan on slapgate

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains divided over the punishment that should be meted out to Harbhajan Singh for slapping S Sreesanth after the Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab Indian Premier League (IPL) match on April 25.
Harbhajan, already banned by the IPL for 11 matches will have the opportunity to plead his case to the BCCI's Appeals Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati on Friday evening.
He will sit across a man who already seems to have passed judgement on him. After watching the footage of the incident, Nanavati had described the evidence as "shocking" and punishment seems inevitable.
"If he is getting fee from two places, then he should get two punishments too,"
Nanavati had said a few days ago.

Knight Riders dump Royal Challengers

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders came back to winning ways, defeating Bangalore Royal Challengers by five runs in a pulsating rain-curtailed encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here last night.Sourav Ganguly's side restricted Royal Challengers to 124 for four after posting a challenging score of 129 for seven in their allotted 16 overs.The match witnessed a keen tussle between the two sides fighting for their survival in the Twenty20 league. Though it was not a high scoring game, the highlight of the match was some eye-catching fielding and disciplined bowling from both sides. J Arun Kumar (22 off 17) and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul (7) gave a perfect start to Royal Challengers' run chase putting on 17 runs for the first wicket. However, a sensational direct hit from Brad Hodge cut short Arun Kumar's innings to bring the match at even terms at 33 for two in 4.5 overs. In his brief stay at the crease, Arun Kumar threatened to take the game away from the hosts. Royal Challengers' captain Rahul Dravid (5) and Mark Boucher (50 off 40 balls) then shared 19 runs for the fourth wicket before Ganguly cleaned his counterpart to reel the visitors at 51 for three in 9.1 overs.Australian Cameron White (30 off 16) accelerated Challengers' run chase, hitting Laxmi Ratan Shukla for a six and four in the 11th over. Needing 62 off 30 balls, both Boucher and White launched an all-round attack. The duo picked up 15 runs in the 13th over from Umar Gul. However, it was followed by a brilliant over by Ishant Sharma (25/1), in which he gave just five runs. In the first of ball of the 15th over, Murali Kartik outsmarted dangerman White with a clever piece of fieldwork of his own bowling. But Boucher was in no mood to give up the fight as he hit Kartik for two fours and a six to keep Challengers in the hunt at 111 for four.Needing 19 off the last over, the South African wicketkeeper fought a lonely battle and hit Ishant for a boundary in the first ball to reduce the margin. That was all he could manage, as his valiant effort could not see his side through and they fell short by five runs. Ganguly was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his excellent bowling. He gave up just seven runs in his three overs in which he picked the important wicket of Dravid.Earlier, Royal Challengers dampened the home crowd's spirit, restricting the Knight Riders to 129 for seven. Opting to bat in a 16-over-per-side match that was delayed by rain, Knight Riders' top order once again faltered and their innings never really took off. A changed opening combination of Akash Chopra (2) and Brad Hodge (10) failed to provide the hosts a solid start. Ganguly (20 off 22 balls) and David Hussey (26 off 12) tried to resurrect Knight Riders' innings and shared a 26-run stand for the fourth wicket, but two crucial runouts and some disciplined work on the field from Challengers eventually led to their downfall. Ganguly was first of the two runouts as White pulling off a spectacular direct hit from mid-on. The going was slow for Knight Riders and it was Hussey who stepped up the gear and accelerated the innings. The Australian hit Kumble for two back-to-back sixes in the ninth over, but in the very next ball a sensational throw from Steyn from the fine-leg found Hussey short of the crease while he was running for a non-existent second run. However, the hosts' lower middle order saved the day for them. Debutant Tatenda Taibu (15), Shukla (11), Wriddhiman Saha (unbeaten 17) and Kartik (17) made some valuable contributions down the order to set a challenging target before Royal Challengers

Tendulkar hoping to play May 14 IPL match

Eager to make his debut in the ongoing Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, after missing seven matches because of a groin injury, Sachin Tendulkar [Images] said on Wednesday he is hopeful turning out for the Mumbai Indians' team when it takes on Chennai Super Kings on May 14.
Watching his teammates fight it out with Rajasthan Royals in Wednesday's IPL tie in Mumbai, the home team's regular skipper, however, said he will take the field only if fully fit.
"I can tell you roughly that I'm targetting the next match," Tendulkar said.
"If I'm in the middle, I should be able to compete; for if I'm not able to compete, I'll be letting down the team," said the ace batsman from Mumbai.
Tendulkar also gave the thumbs up to the IPL, dubbing it the biggest event ever in the history of cricket.
"Without a doubt (this is the biggest event in cricket's history). It has taken the game virtually to all the households in the world. If cricket is looking forward to go global, this is the format. It's a three-hour entertainment, which the entire family can watch together," he said.
Tendulkar believes tournaments like the IPL have the potential to bring in new audience.
"Earlier, people wanted to watch a match but found it difficult to devote the entire day. I think Twenty20 is also bringing families together. I mean, how many times you otherwise see all the family members watching a cricket match together

Parthiv eyeing a comeback via IPL

Parthiv Patel, aiming to stage a comeback into the Indian cricket team, underlined his determination by getting straight to work for Chennai Super Kings on arrival at Chennai to prepare for the Indian Premier League starting on April 18.
"Of course, it is great to get such an opportunity as I am sure there will be a lot of people watching your performance. I hope to do well in this tournament (Indian Premier League)," said Parthiv.
Parthiv, who turned 23 last month, is also aware of the fact that he needs to work that much harder now than at any time in the past to regain his spot in the Indian team.
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The Ahmedabad-based player made his debut for India in 2002 at Trent Bridge against England as a late replacement for an injured Ajay Ratra to become the youngest wicketkeeper ever in Test history.
He went on to play 19 Tests and 14 ODIs, but failed to retain his spot and it was not long before he was omitted from the Indian team. The arrival of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik further affected Parthiv's chances of staging a comeback.
Looking back, Parthiv said, "It is always tough when you get dropped from the Indian team. However, I took this in my stride and worked harder on my technique, both batting and wicket-keeping besides my overall fitness. Hopefully, I will get an opportunity to get back into the Indian team."
On the hard work he did in the past four years, Parthiv said, "Basically, it was my concentration that I need to work on and also on my overall fitness."
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In his debut Test, Parthiv kept wickets for 145 overs as England made 617 in their first innings replying to India's 357. Parthiv failed with the bat, lasting all of 10 deliveries before getting out for a duck. However, in the second essay, the teenager came up with a rearguard action in making an unbeaten 19 that helped India to force a draw.
"When I look back, I feel it was a matter of keeping your concentration over a long period of time that matters most in wicket-keeping. And to do that, fitness is the key. Like I said, I have since put in a lot of effort to improve in these areas," he stated.
Parthiv did well in 2007, when he scored five consecutive centuries, including against South Africa "A" team and in the Irani Trophy.

Chennai equal world Twenty20 record

A total of 16 sixes were hit by Chennai Super Kings batsmen against hosts Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL), equalling a world record for maximum sixes in a Twenty20 game. Chennai won by 33 runs.
In January this year, 16 sixes were hit in Auckland's score of 185 for seven wickets against Central Districts at New Plymouth.
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A total of 25 sixes were hit by both teams - Chennai (16) and Punjab (9) - which is the second best in Twenty20 history, next only to the 26 in the game between Central Districts (10) and Auckland (16) at New Plymouth on Jan 30, 2008.
Several other milestones were set during the Mohali match:
* Runs (447) scored in the match - Chennai (240-5) and Punjab (207-4) - the second best match aggregate in Twenty20 history, next only to the 449-9 in the game between Worcestershire (227/6) and Northamptonshire (222/3) at Kidderminster June 29, 2007.
* Chennai Super Kings (240/5) posted the highest innings total in the IPL, surpassing Kolkata Knight Riders' 222 for three against Bangalore Royal Challengers at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore Friday.
* Michael Hussey (116 not out off 54 balls) recorded his career-best score in Twenty20. It was his maiden century.
* Hussey's brilliant knock is now the second highest individual innings in the IPL, next only to Brendon McCullum's 158 not out off 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders Friday.
* Hussey's feat of reaching his century off only 50 balls is the fastest hundred in the IPL, eclipsing McCullum's 53-ball hundred in the opening game.
* Hussey and Suresh Raina were associated in a stand of 64 - a fourth wicket record in the IPL, surpassing the unfinished 50-run partnership between Brendon McCullum and Mohammad Hafeez for Kolkata Knight Riders against Bangalore Royal Challengers at Bangalore Friday.
* Hussey's feat of nine sixes is the second best in the IPL, next only to Brendon McCullum (13) for Kolkata Knight Riders against Bangalore Royal Challengers at Bangalore.
* James Hopes earned a dubious distinction, becoming the first bowler in the IPL to concede 25 runs (6,6,4,1,6,2) to Badrinath and Hussey. Cameron White had conceded 24 runs in his first over - the most conceded by any bowler in the opening game (4,1,6,4,2w,1,6).
* Hopes (4-0-53-1) became the first bowler to concede 50 runs in the IPL, eclipsing Jacques Kallis' figures of 4-0-48-1 in the inaugural game.
* Hussey and Badrinath put on an unfinished 73-run stand for the sixth wicket - a record for any wicket in the IPL.